Generally, medical forceps are plier-like devices that include opposing jaws for clamping, manipulating, and/or pulling a vessel or tissue during a surgical procedure. One or both of the opposing jaws can also be provided with electrosurgical energy (i.e., a therapy current) so that the vessel or tissue can be cauterized or coagulated while clamped between the jaws. More specifically, monopolar forceps utilize one active electrode and a remote patient return pad that is attached externally to the patient. When the electrosurgical energy is applied, the energy travels from the active electrode to the vessel or tissue to cauterized or coagulate the vessel or tissue, through the patient, and to the return pad. Bipolar forceps utilize two opposing electrodes, each of which are charged to a different electric potential. Because a vessel or tissue is a conductor of electrical energy, when the opposing jaws grasp the vessel or tissue, the electrical energy is transferred through the vessel or tissue to cauterized or coagulate the vessel or tissue.
Some surgical procedures also require the vessel or tissue to be cut, transected, cauterized, or coagulated with a blade. For this, generally, an ancillary medical device or blade may be required. However, an ancillary blade may undesirably require additional space at the surgical site to store the ancillary device. Moreover, using an ancillary blade may undesirably require additional hand movements by the surgeon performing the procedure (i.e., to pick up the device, use the device, and put the device back down), and may undesirably add additional time to the medical procedure.
Some examples of medical forceps can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,638, 7,232,440, and 8,568,410, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes. It would be desirable to have a combination medical device for cauterizing or coagulating a vessel or tissue and then subsequently cutting the vessel or tissue. It would be desirable to have a medical device capable of clamping a vessel or tissue, subsequently cauterizing or coagulating the vessel or tissue, and then cutting the vessel or tissue with a single device without repositioning or reconfiguring the device. It would be desirable to have a medical device capable of clamping a vessel or tissue, subsequently cauterizing or coagulating vessel or tissue, and then cutting the vessel or tissue with a blade member by moving the blade relative to the medical device in a proximal direction, a distal direction, or both. It would be desirable to have a medical device including a pair of clamping jaws and a blade that can be rotated between to the jaws. It would be desirable to have a medical device where surgeons can more readily and more easily produce consistent, high quality transections while limiting movement of the blade and/or the jaws. It would be attractive to have a medical device including forceps and an electrode that extends beyond a distal end of the gripping assembly in a neutral or steady state. It would be attractive to have a medical device including forceps and an electrode that further extends beyond a distal end of the gripping assembly or retracts to cut a vessel or tissue. What is needed is a medical device including forceps and a blade that is also an electrode or includes a separate electrode member.